


A needed step forward

by Miizurichan



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Drama, Fluff, M/M, Verbal Abuse, mentioned nebureo, one step further
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-29
Updated: 2016-03-29
Packaged: 2018-05-29 23:37:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6398866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miizurichan/pseuds/Miizurichan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kuroko is sharing an apartment with Mibuchi, an apartment he was supposed to share with Akashi. However, Akashi remains living at home with his verbally abusive father Masaomi, who doesn't accept Akashi's relationship with Kuroko. A late dinner out one night, proves to Kuroko that his patience is wearing thin, seeing his beloved stepped on by his own father constantly and it's time to move on, whether Masaomi will accept it or not. Will Akashi finally break free and move on, or will he avoid the situation yet again?</p>
            </blockquote>





	A needed step forward

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this for months, and it has ended up way longer than I ever intended it to be, but I'm happy with it!   
> Enjoy!

They were supposed to start living together, as sharing an apartment while studying in the same university would make it cheaper. 

Kuroko would be lying if he wasn't upset by the recent development of things, but he had nearly expected it. 

Akashi wasn't the type to abandon traditions and thus leave family behind. However, in this case Kuroko felt he should have done such. 

He didn’t want to feel this boiling anger and annoyance every time he saw Akashi, but he couldn’t help it. He supposed he should just be glad Akashi was allowed to stay over at weekends. 

Yet, he was bitter. Very bitter about it. If it wasn't for his roommate, there would probably have been a barrier of bitterness between himself and Akashi. 

Kuroko didn't want that, so he was very pleased with how open his roommate was to talking about this. Then again, he figured that was because his roommate already knew Akashi. 

That's right. His roommate was Mibuchi Reo. Not even in his wildest dreams did he think he'd ever get along with Mibuchi, but he did. 

He was especially thankful for that today. It was a nice, warm Saturday in July and Kuroko was having big trouble. 

He was supposed to eat dinner at a fancy restaurant with Akashi and his father, and he was not looking forward to it. 

Akashi's father, whose name was Akashi Masaomi, was a horror to be around. Kuroko wasn't sure if he had ever met anyone that passive aggressive and rude. Especially toward his own son. 

Sitting on the couch in the living room area with Mibuchi, talking about it, was supposed to make things better, but Kuroko could feel annoyance already. 

By the time he had dressed up properly; rather, as well as Akashi told him to dress if he wanted to avoid agitating his father, he knew it was doomed to fail. He could just feel it in his bones. 

"Come on now, he can't be that horrible? I find it hard to believe Akashi wouldn't speak up against him." Mibuchi frowned from the other side of the couch but Kuroko could only shake his head. 

"He is horrible, Mibuchi. Why do you think Sei is never here? His father does not let him see me because I would disturb his studies and what not else." Heaving a sigh, Kuroko leaned his head back to look at the ceiling. "He is emotionally and verbally abusive toward Sei, every time they are in the same room and Sei brushes it off like it is no big deal. I am fed up and if he does not take action himself, I will do it." Looking over at Mibuchi with a flat but serious expression, he could tell the older male understood. 

"You do what you need to, but work things out properly with Sei-chan, hm? You're so good for him and I'd hate to see that turn into a bitter break." Mibuchi smiled softly and Kuroko couldn't help but smile a bit himself. 

"Of course not, Mibuchi. I do not intend to give up on him without trying to find a solution to this. But thank you." Kuroko smiles softly and turns his attention briefly to the clock on the wall. "Ah! I should get going." 

Kuroko sends Mibuchi a small smile before thanking him for the small talk and heads out the door. 

\--------------

He still feels very nervous, but he's not scared. He figured that if Akashi was going to keep protecting his dad to the point of his dad persuading him to break up with Kuroko, he would be better off breaking it off with him first. 

He doesn’t want to do that though. He loves Akashi with all his heart, so he obviously doesn’t want to break up with him solely because his dad drove them apart, but if it got to that, then so be it. That was also why today's dinner was important, at least for Kuroko. 

Today, he was setting his foot down, no matter what. He wasn't going to put up with seeing his boyfriend being treated like trash a minute longer. Whatever the outcome, it was his own choice. He was ready. 

\------- 

Getting to the restaurant was no big deal and he was thankful to see that Akashi and his dad had not arrived yet. It gave him a little time to prepare himself mentally for this dinner. 

As he enters the restaurant, states he's going to a table for three under the name Akashi, and is led to the table, he can't help but get lost in his own thoughts. 

He knew Akashi's dad didn't like him, there was likely little chance he ever would, but he at least wanted to be treated as if he was Akashi's partner, not just some kind of fling on the side. He was well aware of the fact that Akashi's dad wanted Akashi to marry a woman from a rich family. That man had no mouth filter when it came to that. 

Nevertheless, not once had he seen Akashi throw that suggestion down properly. The more he thought about it, the more it bugged him. Did Akashi even want to be with him? Was Kuroko's wish to marry Akashi someday that impossible? 

Chewing on the inside of his lip, Kuroko couldn't help but let himself doubt Akashi, but just a bit. He just wanted this dinner over with already. 

Mere seconds later Kuroko recognized the voice of Akashi's dad. Looking up, Kuroko immediately put on a poker face. Although he locked eyes with Akashi as he rounded the corner and walked toward the table, he was quick to avert his gaze. 

"I see you came early, for once." Akashi's dad hung his coat over the back of his chair as he pulled it out and sat down. The tone of his voice was anything but nice; his hard stare in Kuroko's direction likewise. 

Kuroko could already feel the tension hang heavily in the air, but he pretended like nothing - for now he could do that. "Yes, I suppose so." With a stiff smile, Kuroko opened the menu given to him as a waiter came to their table. 

From that point, things went smoothly until it was time to order. Much like usually, the waiter was startled upon realizing Kuroko was there. This was something both Kuroko and Akashi was used to, so they had no issues laughing it off along with the clearly embarrassed waiter. Akashi's dad on the other hand snorted quite audibly and Kuroko could feel his glare drilling holes into the sides of head. 

His usually large amount of patience was getting smaller by the second and it didn’t help that Akashi’s dad kept looking unimpressed by the choice of food. “Pick something healthy, Seijuurou. I will not have my son shame my reputation here.” He didn’t look up at his son, but Kuroko could tell he knew Akashi would comply to his wish. 

When they all had ordered and the waiter had left, Kuroko looked at Akashi’s dad with a flat facial expression but made sure his voice dripped with venom. “What does Sei’s choice of food have to do with your reputation, Mr. Akashi?” 

Kuroko felt Akashi put his hand lightly on his thigh, almost to quietly tell him to stop, but he decided to ignore it. “Well, please do explain it to me. Or, is it because you fear I am a bad influence on Sei?” He had no intention of letting it drop, this was the last straw of his patience. 

It was an all down staring contest now, a staring contest Kuroko wasn’t planning on losing. The other guests in the restaurant seemed oblivious to the situation by their table and Kuroko was thankful for that. However, he wasn’t so thankful that he could just let this go. 

The world almost stood at pause while they stared each other down, Mr. Akashi with a face as open as a book, and Kuroko with a face entirely void of emotion. 

Beside Kuroko sat Akashi, clearly looking a mix between relieved and ashamed. He was well aware of the problems between his father and his boyfriend, and while he did appreciate what Kuroko did, he couldn’t help but feel like this was absolutely not the place. 

By now, he was sure the entire restaurant could feel the tension between his boyfriend and his father. He felt deeply sorry for the waiter who came with the food to the table with a smile, only to be met with tension that could choke someone. Her smile still didn’t falter, but Akashi could see she wanted to leave as fast as possible, not that he could blame her. 

As she had put the food down in front of the right person, she looked at Akashi for a moment before turning away and walking away with quick steps. When they had eye contact, Akashi could see pity in her eyes. For Akashi, that was a low blow. He never wanted to be pitied, by anyone or anything. 

So, he cleared his throat and made an attempt to calm the situation down. “Why do we not take this after dinner, here is not the place to behave like this.” His tone was even, calm, but held no room for discussion. Forget him embarrassing his dad, right now it was his boyfriend and his dad embarrassing him and he was not going to just sit there. Not a chance.

The stone look from his dad was no surprise for Akashi. By now he was quite used to that look, but the surprised and almost relieved look on Kuroko’s face made him wonder if Kuroko had a thought behind acting the way he did today. Regardless of how the both of them felt by his words, the tension sank gradually as they started eating. Akashi just hoped it would last. 

He was almost right. Things had run with minimal issues until it was time to leave. Kuroko had tugged on his sleeve while his dad was paying. At first, Akashi hadn’t been sure what was really up, especially not when Kuroko could be hard to read, even for him. 

Where Kuroko usually looked very open, albeit a bit blank, he now wore a peering expression and looked like he was wanting to ask something, but couldn’t for some reason. If Akashi were to be entirely honest, he felt like Kuroko had behaved oddly all evening. He was aware of the tension between him and his dad, but Kuroko usually didn’t behave this way. 

Drawing a small breath, Kuroko took a step back to look at Akashi more properly. “I know this is not pleasant for you, Sei, but I cannot do this anymore.” His voice was quiet, even, but Akashi knew better than to underestimate the tone he felt lying beneath. “The way your dad treats you is appalling. If he could, he would make you marry some woman who would not embarrass you or bring shame to the family. If he could not manage that much, we would at least drive us apart, and he’s getting close. I hardly see you anymore at all, Sei. I don’t want to give up on us, but I cannot, will not go along with your dad. Not while he is treating you this way, not while he is openly shaming you for being with me, even after all these years. I want Mibuchi to be able to move out of the apartment and in with Nebuya, and I want you to move in with me, I want to marry you and settle down with you. You know this, yet you never stand up against your dad. I know you could lose a lot from it, but I would be here for you, to help you, and so would all your friends. We see, quite clearly, that you’re hurting, but at the same time, we are tired of seeing you brush it away and avoiding the issue altogether. Please, Sei. Please do something, stand up to him, break free. You are worth more than being belittled by him.” 

Kuroko saw his words had changed something, which was all he really needed. It wasn’t his place, or anyone’s place to force Akashi into doing anything. If Kuroko didn’t know better he’d have said that most of Akashi’s life was him being forced to do this or that by his dad. The only one who could properly make a stand against that man was Akashi himself. 

After a moment of letting his boyfriend’s words sink in, Akashi gave a gentle smile and spoke in an equally low tone. “Tonight, you have to go to bed alone. Tomorrow, and many days after, will be different. I do not want this either, but I have pushed it under a rug. I am past 20, it is time to move on. It is time to do what I want.” The thought of standing up against his dad terrified him, but he was tired of sitting beside his dad like a dog. 

His words brought a relieved smile to Kuroko’s face. “I’m proud of you, Sei.” Discreetly, he kissed Akashi on the cheek before saying bye and heading out. Kuroko had joined Akashi and his dad for dinner more than once, so he knew it was best to just get moving, he wouldn’t be allowed to pay either way so it was better that way. 

The bus ride home was quiet and comfortable despite it being dark outside. He knew his lack of presence would be at his advantage, but he truly didn’t feel like having his evening ruined. For the first time in a good while, he felt like things would be okay. 

When he got to the door of his apartment with Mibuchi, he could hear soft footsteps coming toward the door. He didn’t even have to think to know it was Mibuchi who wanted gossip about how it went. Kuroko couldn’t blame him though; he had told Reo a lot over the months they had lived together. 

Kuroko barely got to move his hand before Mibuchi had flung the door open with a look of excitement laced with worry. “So? How did it go?” Instead of answering, Kuroko had just given him a look that made him retreat further back into the hall so he could enter and hang off his coat and put away his shoes. “Mibuchi, just because you are staring at me, I will not tell you any faster. Let’s go to the living room.” 

He could almost sense the disappointment radiating off Mibuchi as he retreated into the living room with Kuroko following right behind him. It was first when he slid down into the comfortable couch that he could feel a twinge of excitement himself. 

“The start of the dinner was as you would imagine. Tense, uncomfortable. Akashi’s dad and I ended up having a staring contest of sorts, which I am sure the entire restaurant could feel. It was thanks to Sei we stopped at all, but I think we both needed it. I needed it because I wanted to know if he could stand up against his dad and I think he needed it so he could see that he would need to stand up against him in order to keep his life. I hardly think it’s a secret that his dad tries to isolate him from social gatherings out of his control because it can affect how Sei performs on various things. After that things did get a bit better, I told Sei how I felt about things, and how I am not the only one who wants him to be okay and out of his dad’s grip. It seemed to me that he understood where I was going with it, but naturally he had to take it a bit cheesy.” Kuroko paused to smile slightly and take a breath before continuing. “He will be starting to move tomorrow. When, I’m not sure, but I suspect after dinner time.” 

The more Kuroko explained, the wider Mibuchi smiled. “So I’ll be on my ass out of here sooner than either of us bargained for, hm?” He reached forward and put a hand on Kuroko’s hand and continued talking before Kuroko could even open his mouth to reply. “I’m so happy for you, Kuroko, I really am. I knew everything would work out for the two of you. The two of you have always had a knack for getting around things. From what I know of your time before I knew either of you, you somehow found your ways then.” 

Kuroko hadn’t expected anything less from Mibuchi, but it still made a giddy feeling spread through his chest. Back when he and Akashi had announced their relationship they had a feeling the people closest to them knew already. Yet, there had been something scary about it. Something scary they had overcome together, just like this and possibly many other things in the future. 

“Thank you, Mibuchi. I still would not rush you out of the apartment, but I would think you and Nebuya already have a plan going. Do not think I have not seen the boxes.” The moment Kuroko had finished speaking, a small flush spread over Mibuchi’s cheeks. 

Stuttering to reply, Mibuchi eventually gave up and slumped over with a sigh. “It’s nothing personal meant, but I always knew you and Sei would sort it out. Well, that and there’s no chance you’d ever move in with Sei and his dad. You’re a patient guy, Kuroko, you truly are, but even you have your limits.” 

Kuroko couldn’t deny that. Not that he particularly needed to deny or confirm it because it was obvious to anyone that he couldn’t have handled living with Akashi’s dad anywhere near him. 

They spent another hour talking about how things would be when they were no longer living together before they went to their own bedrooms and got ready to hit the hay. 

It was already quite late and Kuroko had felt drained of energy since before he had even left the restaurant. That happened every single time Kuroko was in the presence of Akashi’s dad. Often he found himself wondering how Akashi did it without almost collapsing. 

After he had crawled under the duvets and gotten comfortable, he stared up at the ceiling. Kuroko could easily admit that he was excited, but a small feeling of uncertainly pricked at his skin. Just how would their life change? He had often thought of it and made up his own little stories for how it would change. Not that it was finally in motion, all emotions he felt previously were even stronger. He trusted Akashi, and believed in him, but he was still worried. For the most part because he didn’t want to think about how Akashi’s dad might react to Akashi ripping free from his grip at last. 

Despite his thoughts, Kuroko fell asleep quickly and slept soundly through the entire night. 

\----------

When morning came, Kuroko woke with a feeling of restlessness in his chest. As he went through his morning routine of washing his face and brushing his teeth, the feeling only got stronger. Where some might have sat down and thought of what the reason for it was, Kuroko didn’t have to because he already knew. 

Kuroko was used to being skilled at hiding his emotions behind a poker face, but as he exited his bedroom in his light blue pyjamas and followed the scent of food to the kitchen, it didn’t take him long to notice his mask had slipped that way.

From the other side of the counter, Mibuchi smiled at him. “You’re quite an open book today, Kuroko.” Another pancake was flipped to the plate beside the hob. Kuroko watched the movement as he sat down on a chair on the long side of the kitchen island. “I suppose.” 

His response sounded flat, but he knew Mibuchi could see right through that at this point. Mibuchi didn’t say more, but he moved the plate with pancakes to the set part of the kitchen island so Kuroko could start eating breakfast while he finished up. 

As he ate, Kuroko couldn’t help but sink into a small daydream. He wondered how it would look to wake up in the morning to Akashi standing in the kitchen making breakfast. Kuroko imagined Akashi in a black apron, with tousled hair but clear eyes, making breakfast for them both. A fancy breakfast, because he was a fancy person. Just thinking about it made Kuroko have that giddy feeling all over again. It was like the feeling he had in the first few months of his relationship with Akashi, like he was falling for Akashi all over again. 

Although he was finished eating, Kuroko remained seated at the kitchen island and observed Mibuchi move around while cleaning up dirty utensils before sitting down to eat as well. The silence that filled the kitchen was comfortable, but Kuroko could still feel that Mibuchi was as excited for this day as he was, though not for the same reasons as he was. 

Kuroko wished time would go faster, but he supposed all he could do was find something to occupy his time with. The weather was lovely, he had a book he was halfway through, not to mention Nigou. 

He didn’t ponder for long before he got up, brought his plate to the sink and turned around to look at Mibuchi, then he turned his gaze to the large, fluffy form of Nigou resting beside the table. “The weather is nice; I will go to the park with Nigou.” He paused as Nigou got up and walked over to him with a wagging tail. “Sitting about doing nothing makes me… restless.”

\---------

Although Nigou seemed to enjoy the walk in fresh air, Kuroko found nothing but more restlessness. Even this, sitting on a bench in the sun with his book in his hands and his dog rolling on the soft grass, didn’t make time go any faster. All he truly wanted, was for Akashi to show up and tell him they could finally live together. 

High patience was something Kuroko knew he had, but he often found it lacking when it came to any matters involving Akashi. It certainly did not help the case that Akashi liked to surprise him. Kuroko figured that was why Akashi hadn’t called or texted him yet. That was certainly what he wanted to believe anyway. 

Drawing one last, big, deep breath, Kuroko stood up from the bench and called for Nigou who came running at the sound of his voice. Now that the Alaskan malamute had gotten older, he had also gotten bigger, so big that Kuroko had to keep him in a harness when they were walking, despite knowing Nigou would never wander off. 

First when Kuroko got back to the apartment did he properly check the time and noticed he had been out for a bit over two hours. It surprised him, but calmed him down a bit all the same. As he walked into the bedroom to get his book and his phone, he noticed the small blue light coming and going on the upper left side of his phone. 

When he sat down in the couch next to Mibuchi who was watching some program Kuroko didn’t bother noticing properly, he watched the blue light on his phone for a bit before pressing the button below the screen. The banner of a message popped up as the screen lit up. Kuroko couldn’t help the small smile that crossed his face as he opened the message and read it. 

The message was from Akashi, and was simple.   
I am coming in an hour, everything has been settled. 

He could have been disappointed he didn’t get any more details than that, but at this moment he didn’t need more. Neither he nor Akashi were of the most talkative type, so knowing Akashi had sorted things out were enough. 

Kuroko had both thought and told himself that he was ready to take things further, both in life and in his relationship. However, as he looked at the time stamp on the message from Akashi, he discovered he was not ready, not in the slightest. 

Obviously he wanted to move on, to wake up every day he could, to see Akashi sleeping beside him. But, seeing he had less than 20 minutes to mentally prepare himself for the first step made nervousness settle in his chest and made his skin feel tingly. And that, was not a common thing for Kuroko. Only around Akashi and his maybe involuntary interest in being unpredictable was he like that. Basketball made his skin tingle too, but in a much different way. The thrill of the unpredictability that came with Akashi was unlike anything. It was likely also something Kuroko would never get used to – not fully anyway. 

Neither he nor Mibuchi said a word, not that they needed to. If Mibuchi was curious, he would ask, just as he always did. Since he hadn’t done so, Kuroko took a chance at assuming Mibuchi understood the situation. With that in his mind, Kuroko picked up his book and opened at the place where his bookmark rested between two pages. Reading always made him feel more relaxed. 

As he read, Kuroko almost slipped away from the outside world. With the book comfortably in his arms, he was wholly focused on the book, the content and how his head created images from what he read. He never forgot, but reality was pushed to the back of his mind. 

It was pushed back until he gave a small jolt after an elbow had jabbed him gently. Kuroko almost felt as though he was dragged back from what he was reading and into his own body. For a moment, he looked at Mibuchi with a face filled with confusion. 

The confusion melted away into surprise laced with nervousness as Mibuchi nodded toward the entrance door – just as the doorbell rang – then, as he slowly realized, Kuroko’s face settled down into the usual blank expression. Almost the usual blank expression, almost, for even Mibuchi could clearly see emotion swirling in Kuroko’s clear blue eyes as he slowly stood up from the couch and put his book down on the table. 

He had stared at the direction of the door until it rang again and even Nigou got up from his relaxed position to let out a low bark, though it sounded more like an impatient guaff. Kuroko wasn’t sure if it was his imagination or not, but he had no time to think about it as he slowly began walking toward the door. 

Although he didn’t hear it, he could feel his heart beating faster and stronger against his ribcage. He stopped when he was right in front of the door and almost waited longer to hear the doorbell again – as if he needed to know it wasn’t all a dream. 

He might not have opened the door quite as brutally as Mibuchi had done the night before, but it had surprised Akashi – who stood outside waiting – all the same. Kuroko didn’t even have time to feel satisfaction before both he and Akashi stepped forward to meet each other for a tight hug. 

As they stood there, Kuroko was sure he felt Akashi’s heart beating as fast as his own. He could feel Akashi moving his arms up toward his face, and even though he didn’t want to let go of him, he didn’t resist in the slightest as the familiar feel of Akashi’s lips upon his own. 

The kiss was short, but just as direct and honest as anything else Akashi ever did. A small chuckle passed through Akashi’s lips as they pulled back. If Kuroko didn’t know better, he would say Akashi looked almost sheepish – the muttered sorry with a general gesture to his greeting proved his suspicions though. Not that it mattered. 

Kuroko shook his head a bit and looked up the short way to Akashi’s eyes. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but Akashi apparently figured it out before he himself did. 

Akashi cleared his throat lightly and stepped back before reaching out to open the door further, showing Kuroko a few suitcases that looked both big and full. Before Kuroko could even make a comment about it, Akashi had smiled that very smile Kuroko adored. “He was not happy, my father, but he understood. I do have some more things over there, but it is nothing we need to rush.” 

As the first few seconds passed, Kuroko had no idea how to find words, but as he heard the tapping of Nigou and Mibuchi come into the hall he gave Akashi a small smile and spoke; “I am so proud of you, Sei.” He could see Akashi relaxing visibly before being almost ran over by both Mibuchi and Nigou who were just as happy to see him as Kuroko was – or, almost anyway. 

The scene made Kuroko smile, however, Akashi’s surprised expression had been the thing that made him chuckle. He suspected it was on purpose, Akashi was not a man easily prone to surprise. 

When all the hugging was over, Mibuchi helped Akashi carry the suitcases to the bedroom that previously had been only Kuroko’s, the bedroom that would now belong to both him and Akashi. The thought was still foreign to Kuroko. 

Looking after them, Kuroko quietly headed back to the living room and sat down comfortably in the couch. Within a few short minutes, Akashi had sat down beside him while Mibuchi took his usual spot on the opposite couch. 

Without really thinking about it, Kuroko moved to lean his head slightly on Akashi’s shoulder. It had been a good while since he had been this close to Akashi without having to keep his guard up because his dad was around. 

Despite wanting to relax, he was curious, and from experience he knew Mibuchi was curious as well. “Sei, can you tell us a bit about what happened?” Kuroko tilted his head up to look at Akashi while he spoke. Although a soft sigh escaped him, Akashi looked at both of them before speaking. 

“I do not like admitting it, but last night I did nothing. Well, nothing directly. I spent the night pondering of how to address this issue properly. In the end, I found there was no proper way to do it other than tell my father the brutal truth and stand my ground. So I did. He did threaten with this and that, but I stood my ground and it eventually seemed to sink in to him that I wanted to go my own way. Or more specifically, that I wanted to go my own way, with you, Kuroko.” As he spoke the last line, Akashi turned his head and looked directly at Kuroko. 

Mibuchi could see that Akashi and Kuroko were a bit lost in each other’s gaze, and as much as he didn’t want to ruin the moment for them, he was getting hungry and wanted them all to eat together. So, as he stood up and cleared his throat, both Akashi and Kuroko’s attention were on him in an instant. “We should have dinner, no?” 

Unsurprisingly, they both agreed and got up from the couch to follow Mibuchi to the kitchen. Like a true household, everyone had different tasks when it came to preparing everything. Mibuchi could see Kuroko wondered if he had planned this, but he didn’t ask, so Mibuchi didn’t tell. 

\---------

When dinner had been eaten, the dishes cleaned and the table cleaned, Mibuchi had stopped them from returning to the living room with the information that he would be going to Nebuya’s apartment for the night. Neither Akashi nor Kuroko needed to know the specifics, so they settled for hugging Mibuchi and following him to the door. 

When the door closed and the thought of having the apartment to themselves had gone up for them, Kuroko had taken a few steps backward and tugged on Akashi’s hand. He didn’t say a word; he didn’t need to. Akashi needed only look at him to understand. 

Kuroko stumbled backward into the bedroom, but Akashi’s hands on his waist kept him steady, although Kuroko’s stumbling in the first place was entirely his fault. Getting to the bed, Akashi was about to give Kuroko a light push to make him fall onto the soft duvets, but he was taken by surprise as Kuroko had grabbed hold of the front of his shirt as he fell, so that Akashi fell after and had to catch himself with his elbows in order not to crash right into him. Kuroko didn’t look the slightest bit worried. He pressed a soft kiss to both his cheeks before laying back and looking up at him. 

“I missed you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Let's face it, Akashi needs to move out from home, sooner rather than later.


End file.
